Loving-kindness For Reconnecting And Nurturing Your Body

Time to give yourself some much-needed loving attention. There are many demands, expectations, and stressors placed on your body and we often expect a lot from it. So now it's time to give back, time to reconnect, to nurture, and be grateful for your incredible body. May you find peace and restoration in this guided meditation set to the calming music from Chris Collins.

Transcript

You Hello,

I'm Paul McCann and I'd like to welcome you to this compassionate body scan.

You'll need about 20 to 30 minutes for this so please make sure you're somewhere that you won't be disturbed.

It's time now to check in with yourself and provide yourself with some much needed loving attention.

There are many pressures,

Obligations,

Stresses and demands we place on our body.

We often expect a lot from it so now it's time to give back,

Time to reconnect,

To nurture,

To be grateful.

So with this in mind let's begin our compassionate body scan.

You may want to sit on a chair with your back upright or else on a meditation cushion or you can even lie on the floor,

Have all the bolsters and pillows you need,

Have a cozy blanket over you to keep yourself feeling comfortable and safe,

Have your phones out of reach and on silent.

This is your time.

So once you've settled in,

Let's begin.

So let's start by taking three to five full complete breaths in your own time,

Breathing in through your nose all the way down deep into your belly,

Allowing it to expand,

Holding it for a moment when you're full and then letting it out completely through your mouth.

So repeating that three to five times,

Feeling the breath as it passes through your nostrils,

Deep into your belly,

Allowing your belly to soften,

Relax.

On your out breath,

Feeling that wave of relaxation sweep over you.

And once you've completed around three to five full breaths,

Just returning to a natural breathing rhythm for you without forcing it.

So now let's start by first getting in touch with your body.

How's it feeling right here in this present moment?

Can you feel the weight of your seat on the cushion or of your back on the floor or the bed?

Just noticing the entire field of the body sensation.

Is there any tingling,

Heaviness,

Pressure,

Lightness or prickling?

So just feel in your body just as it is right now.

So we're going to be moving our attention and awareness to different parts of the body,

Moving from the crown of the head down to the toes and back again.

And as we go through different parts,

Bathing ourselves in compassion for any pain or tension that we might feel there.

Perhaps there might be feelings,

Inadequacy,

Shame,

Any feelings we might have about certain body parts.

So as we move through this practice,

Be kind and be gentle with yourself.

So starting with the crown of your head,

Just notice what sensations are there.

See if you can tune into that point just between the air above your head and where your skull starts.

Is there any tingling or sensation there?

If so,

Just notice it without judgment and if not,

That's okay too.

And now becoming aware of your facial muscles.

We have hundreds of muscles in our face and they all work very hard for us,

Expressing our emotions.

Some of which might be quite painful,

These emotions.

If you feel any tension or stress in any of your facial muscles,

Try breathing into them and allowing them to soften a little,

Soothing them.

Perhaps imagining caressing your face with your awareness.

And being grateful for how hard your facial muscles work for you.

And now becoming aware of the back of your head.

Are there any sensations here?

If you have any sort of headache or pain,

Just being kind and tender.

Being compassionate to the fact that you aren't feeling perhaps as well as you'd like to.

Or if there are no sensations there,

Then just feel whatever's happening right now for you.

So now become aware of how your neck feels.

Is there any tension,

Tightness,

Burning,

Tingling?

Our neck works hard to hold up our head and often holds a lot of tension,

Especially if we're sitting at a desk all day in front of a computer.

So just relaxing the neck muscles.

And allowing a sense of soothing and comforting to come to any points of pain that you may be experiencing there.

And as you're breathing,

Just dropping the shoulders,

Allowing them to just to soften down away from your ears.

We can hold a lot of our emotional tension,

Stress and fear in our shoulders.

Most of us will feel some sort of pain or tension there.

So first,

Just notice what you feel in this area around your shoulders.

Without judgment,

How does the sensation feel?

Is it hot or cold?

Is it tight or stabbing?

Is it dull or achy?

So just taking a moment to breathe in some compassion into your shoulders.

They take on a lot for us and just soothing,

Comforting any feelings of pain or discomfort that you may have here.

Now dropping down so that you're aware of your upper back and your shoulder blades.

And feeling any tension that's there,

Any discomfort.

Allowing it to be just as it is.

Hot,

Cold,

Sharp,

Soft.

And using your awareness to acknowledge any pain and to soothe that area of your body.

And then become aware of your chest area where your heart resides,

Where emotions are often felt.

It can be quite intense even the difficult ones like grief or disappointment.

So try to notice how the physical sensations of your chest are manifesting.

Is the sensation moving?

Is it buzzing?

Is it tight?

Just simply noticing what's there.

Relaxing around it.

And just comforting yourself for any pain you might be feeling in your chest.

Just as a mother might caress a child who's feeling discomfort.

Take that same attitude of tenderness with your awareness.

And now take your attention down to your stomach area,

Your gut.

Breathing into this space.

A lot of difficult emotions can be stored here including fear.

You may have some judgments about your stomach.

Maybe it's not quite as thin as you'd like it to be.

But first just focus on the actual sensations of your stomach.

Is there any movement occurring here?

Maybe you're digesting some food.

Is there tension?

Any physical discomfort?

And also are there any feelings that come up in this area?

Perhaps feelings of inadequacy,

Of non-acceptance,

Of being exactly who you are in this moment.

Whatever arises,

You can take a very calm,

Comforting,

Loving stance towards this part of your body.

We often have such difficulty with even sending some appreciation for the very hard task of digesting our food.

Allowing us to be alive.

So just relaxing and softening.

You may even like to place your hands on the area to help assist with your loving attention of the area.

And now turn your awareness towards your lower back.

There's some very big strong muscles here that work hard to keep us upright.

If you feel any tension here,

Just try to breathe into it and relax that part of your body.

So consciously soothing any discomfort or aches or pains that you might feel.

It can be very challenging sometimes for us to be in this human body with its limitations.

And we can be kind to ourselves in this moment.

And now dropping your awareness down into your pelvic area.

And again,

A lot of tension can often be sitting in this area.

And we become so used to that,

That we don't pay much attention to it.

Or we may even avoid paying attention to this part of your body.

So just notice what feelings might be there.

Is there any discomfort,

Tension?

Just noticing without judgement.

Are there any emotions that come up for you?

So taking a very soothing,

Comforting approach towards this part of your body.

And just allowing it to be as it is.

And then dropping down to your seat itself.

If you're sitting,

This will be easy because you'll feel the tension of your buttocks on the chair or the cushion.

And also if you're laying down,

You'll feel tension here.

So just noticing what's there through your buttocks.

Is there any tightness or tension?

So breathing into the area.

Your energy will follow where your mind and awareness go.

Helping to soothe and relax that part of your body.

Are there any feelings associated with that area of your body?

Perhaps some difficulty with accepting this part of your body.

Maybe it's not exactly as you'd like it to be.

So just having compassion for the fact that we're imperfect human beings.

And can you accept that with an open heart?

So let's move back up to our arms now and we'll do them individually.

So let's start with your right arm.

Around your shoulder blade.

And your shoulder and the top of your arm.

Your upper bicep.

How does your upper right arm feel right now?

We have some big muscles in this area that can get strained with lifting and holding.

So breathing in and soothing any tension or discomfort.

Caressing the area with our kind awareness.

And then moving down to the lower right arm.

Just gently notice what you feel here.

Down through your right wrist and hand to your fingers.

We have an amazing number of bones in this part of our body.

And this area that the muscles in the area can be easily overworked especially with computer work.

So just noticing do you have any tension here?

Any feelings of discomfort?

If so,

Just breathing in your soothing awareness.

Feeling yourself.

Having compassion for any pain you might be feeling.

And if there is no discomfort,

Just rest in the peacefulness of being free of pain.

Perhaps showing gratitude for that area of your body.

And then shifting your attention to your left upper arm and shoulder.

Noticing how your muscles feel in this area.

Is there any tension that's there?

Kindly stroking your arm with your awareness.

Comforting yourself.

Dropping down into your lower left arm.

Through your wrist and hand and fingers.

Allowing the sensations to just be there as they are.

Breathing into the area and relaxing your muscles.

And appreciating how hard your fingers work for you and the freedom they give you.

Now shifting your focus to your upper right leg.

The big muscles of your thigh.

So what do you feel in this area right now?

So breathing into that area and see if you can relax the muscles a bit.

If you notice any discomfort or tension,

Kindly soothing and comforting this part of your body.

Then moving down to your right calf and chin area.

The lower part of your leg.

And feeling the muscles soften.

Releasing any tension.

And then taking your awareness down to your right foot.

A surprising amount of tension and stress can be stored in our feet.

A lot of pressure is placed on them.

So take a moment to appreciate your right foot.

It allows you to walk and run and dance.

So breathing into that right foot and relaxing and soothing any feelings of pain that may arise.

Like giving yourself a mental foot massage.

And now move your awareness to your left leg.

The upper thigh muscles.

Noticing what's there.

Breathing in and softening around any tension.

And as always,

If any emotional reactions come up of non-acceptance for a certain part of your body,

Give yourself compassion for that.

Recognising how hard it is to be in our competitive culture.

Dropping down to your left lower leg.

Your calves,

Your shin.

Relaxing,

Soothing.

And then moving down to your left foot.

The sole of your foot,

Your toes.

Just be aware of any sensations that are there.

Tingling,

Burning,

Pressure.

And soothing and comforting any feelings of discomfort or pain that might be there.

So now widen your focus so that you are aware of both your feet.

Moving up both calves.

Up into both your upper legs.

Up through your pelvis to your stomach.

Up through your chest.

Up into your neck,

Your head.

And just imagine the energy flowing out of the top of your head.

From the earth up through your body and out the top of your head.

Feeling the energy of life flowing through you.

Resting in the awareness of this magnificent body you have.

Compassion for its pains and appreciation for its wonder.

Thank you.